Propeller Shaft Circlip-Restricting Surface Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing propeller shaft designs face challenges in preventing unintentional detachment of shafts during use while also requiring high pulling-out loads for maintenance, which affects efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The propeller shaft incorporates a circlip-restricting surface with a first inclined portion at an acute angle greater than 45 degrees and a second inclined portion at a smaller angle, closer to the rotational axis, to securely engage the circlip and reduce the pulling-out load required for detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the circlip-restricting surface has a large angle with respect to the axial direction of the shaft section, then the force restricting movement of the circlip in the axial direction is ensured, but the component of reaction force in the radial direction becomes small, requiring a large pulling-out load for maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The circlip-restricting surface is segmented into two distinct portions: a first inclined portion with a first angle (greater than 45 degrees) for preventing unintentional detachment during normal operation, and a second inclined portion with a second angle (smaller than the first angle) for facilitating easy pulling-out during maintenance. This segmentation allows the single surface to provide different functional characteristics at different stages of shaft extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The circlip-restricting surface transitions from a static, single-angle design to a dynamic, multi-angle design that adapts its restraining characteristics based on the extraction stage. During normal operation, the first inclined portion provides strong axial restriction, while during maintenance extraction, the second inclined portion reduces the required pulling-out load, making the system's mechanical response dynamic rather than fixed.
2Ease of operation
If the angle of the circlip-restricting surface with respect to the axial direction of the shaft section is set smaller for making it easy to pull out the first or second shaft from the inner ring member, then the pulling-out operation becomes easier, but the first or second shaft may be detached unintentionally during use
Solution Approach 1:
The circlip-restricting surface is divided into two functional segments: the first inclined portion with a steeper angle prevents unintentional detachment during normal operation, while the second inclined portion with a shallower angle facilitates easy pulling-out during maintenance. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing different angle characteristics for different operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the circlip-restricting surface are given different local qualities in terms of angle configuration. The first inclined portion has a larger angle suitable for preventing detachment, while the second inclined portion has a smaller angle suitable for easy extraction. This local differentiation allows each portion to optimize for its specific function.
Data Source
AI summary
A propeller shaft includes a shaft section connected between an input shaft and an output shaft via respective constant velocity joints, wherein the input shaft is connected to a drive source of a vehicle, and the output shaft is connected to driving wheels. The constant velocity joint includes a circlip-restricting surface to engage with a circlip provided in an outer peripheral surface of the input or output shaft, for restricting movement of the first or second shaft in an axial direction. The circlip-restricting surface is implemented by a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, wherein the second inclined surface is closer to a rotational axis of the shaft section, and wherein the first inclined surface has an acute angle with respect to the axial direction, and the second inclined surface has a smaller angle with respect to the axial direction.